University: Cost to attend UL rises; school is still inexpensive compared to nation

Megan Wyatt, Daily Advertiser, Jan. 15, 2014

University of Louisiana at Lafayette freshman Jasmin Dykes returned to campus for the new semester Monday afternoon with a platform truck filled with cereal, juice, cookies and chips.

Buying in bulk is just one way to save money on food expenses, she said. Dykes, 19, is studying nursing at UL.

“It’s expensive,” she said. “I would live off-campus if I could.”

But all freshmen in the University of Louisiana System are required to live in campus residence halls as long as space is available. Exemptions can be granted if a student lives with family within a 40-mile radius, is married or a single parent, or can prove that living on campus would cause significant hardship.

The cost of room and board increased 64.6 percent from the 2011-2012 school year to this school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics. That’s an increase from $5,080 for last academic year to $8,362 for this academic year.

“Students have several on-campus living options,” said Aaron Martin, spokesman for UL. “Often our students choose to pay a little more for our campus facilities that offer additional amenities or apartment-style living.”

Dykes said although she plans to move off-campus in the fall, she would prefer to pay the higher cost for updated housing than to pay for less-expensive traditional dorms.

She is paying for school with help from student loans and her parents.

In spite of increases in room and board and other expenses, UL students are getting a bargain for their education, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency List.

The list shows that UL is the most affordable university in the state with the lowest net price to attend.

“While we are the most affordable in the state, we continue to raise the bar on the quality of our academic programs,” Martin said. “Our students and their parents should be proud to know that they are receiving a very high quality education at a competitive price.”

The average net price is determined by subtracting the average amount of grants and scholarships — including those from local, state and federal sources — from the total cost of attendance, which includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, and weighted average for room, board and other expenses.

Senior Heather Rickey-Elledge is a returning student who expects to graduate in nursing this semester.

“I have another degree from 2003, and I can tell a vast difference in costs this time around,” Rickey-Elledge said. “Tuition is definitely increasing.”

Rickey-Elledge, 33, is paying for school with money from savings and a private loan.

“It’s a lot different to go to school when you aren’t living at your parents’ house,” she said.

Eighty-six percent of UL students garnered scholarships or grants this school year, according to NCES.

The estimated in-state tuition fees increased 10.5 percent from the 2011-2012 school year to this one, and the out-of-state fees increased by 6.4 percent, according to the NCES. The estimated in-state tuition for the academic year for beginning students is up $5,374 from $4,864 last school year. For out-of-state beginning students, tuition is at $14,344 from $13,486.

Those increases are typical on UL from the 2009-2010 school year to the current one, according to the NCES.

The cost of books and supplies remained steady from 2009-2010 until now, at about $1,200 per academic year.

The average cost for an in-state student to begin with the 2013-2014 school year and graduate in four years is $21,604, according to the NCES multi-year tuition calculator. The average cost for an out-of-state student to begin with this school year and graduate in four years is $58,519.

The calculator does not include room and board, books and supplies, or other costs associated with attending college.